This disclosure relates to a system and apparatus for monitoring physiological and other parameters of animals. Specifically, this disclosure relates to a bolus which will sense and transmit information from inside an animal.
There are currently a number of prior art devices designed to remotely monitor the core temperature of animals. One such device is commonly referred to as a bolus, which is ingestible by animals. Boluses are designed to sense very slight temperature changes, which often will signal a change in the physiological state of an animal. Detection of such changes can allow early action to quickly detect and treat illnesses, take quick action to prevent the spread of diseases and sicknesses, and to monitor breeding conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,927 to Brune et al., discloses a bolus for monitoring physiological conditions such as temperature. The bolus described in Brune et al. will transmit physiological conditions along with a unique identification code associated with the bolus and thus associated with the animal to a receiving unit. The receiving unit will receive transmitted signals and provide a readout of the transmitted data. The receiver may be located in a centralized location or, according to Brune et al., may be a hand-held receiving unit. The Brune et al. bolus is described as field programmable, but also may be programmed while in the rumen of a ruminating animal. The bolus is designed for periodic data transmission and may also be queried from the receiver location. The bolus goes into a sleep mode for power conservation when data is not being transmitted. While there are prior art devices such as that described by Brune to remotely monitor the core temperature of animals, there is a continuing need for devices that will monitor and provide physiological information for animals quickly, efficiently and accurately.